Substrate processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

One transport robot transports an FOUP among a load port, a third mounting section, and a shelf array. The other transport robot, which is disposed on the reverse side of the one transport robot with the shelf array interposed between the two, transports an FOUP between the shelf array and a second mounting section. Executed in the third mounting section are mapping processing and transportation of a substrate encased in an FOUP to a substrate processing unit. This enables a plurality of transportations to be executed at almost the same time. Additionally, the two transport robots can execute transportation of an FOUP without mutual spatial interference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus thatperforms processing of a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate fora liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substratefor an optical disk, and the like (which are hereinafter referred to asa “substrate”). In particular, the invention relates to an improvementto transport efficiently a cassette in a cassette storing andtransporting unit.

2. Description of the Background Art

Conventionally, there has been known a substrate processing apparatushaving a cassette storing and transporting unit that stores a cassetteencasing a substrate, and transports a cassette to transfer a substratebetween substrate processing units. The traditionally known substrateprocessing apparatus has such an advantage that the depth of a loader 10can be reduced thereby to decrease its footprint.

However, in the traditionally known substrate processing apparatus, atransport robot of a loader section is disposed between a storage shelfand a load port. Therefore, when a cassette is transferred between theload port and the loader section, it is necessary to withdraw thetransport robot into a suitable position.

In the conventionally known substrate processing apparatus, onetransport robot performs transportation between the storage shelf and anopener. Hence, the transportation from the storage shelf to the opener,and the transportation from the opener to the storage shelf cannot beexecuted almost simultaneously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a substrate processing apparatusthat performs processing of a substrate.

According to the present invention, the substrate processing apparatusincludes a substrate processing unit, a cassette storing andtransporting unit, and a first mounting section. The substrateprocessing unit performs processing of a substrate. The cassette storingand transporting unit stores and transports a cassette to encase asubstrate, and is disposed side by side with respect to the substrateprocessing unit. The first mounting section that mounts the cassette andis disposed side by side with respect to the cassette storing andtransporting unit. The cassette storing and transporting unit has aplurality of shelves to hold a cassette, a second mounting section thatmounts a cassette and is disposed between the substrate processing unitand the plurality of shelves, a first transporting section thattransports a cassette between the first mounting section and theplurality of shelves, and a second transporting section that transportsa cassette between the plurality of shelves and the second mountingsection.

The transportation between the first mounting section and the pluralityof shelves which is executed by the first transporting section, and thetransportation between the second mounting section and the plurality ofshelves which is executed by the second transporting section can beexecuted in parallel with each other. This can improve the throughput inthe cassette storing and transporting unit, and in the substrateprocessing apparatus as well.

Preferably, the first transporting section is disposed between the firstmounting section and the plurality of shelves, and transports a cassetteto the plurality of shelves from a direction of one side of theplurality of shelves.

This provides for ease of access to a cassette on the first mountingsection and on the plurality of shelves.

Preferably, the second transporting section is disposed between thesubstrate processing unit and the plurality of shelves, and transports acassette to the plurality of shelves from a direction of the other sideof the plurality of shelves.

Parallel operation of the respective transporting sections can be setwithout consideration of spatial interference between the firsttransporting section and the second transporting section.

Preferably, the first and second transporting sections have a holdingelement that holds a cassette from the underside of the cassette, andthe plurality of shelves have a passage section that allows the holdingelement to pass through in the vertical direction.

The time required for a cassette transfer operation can be reducedthereby to improve the throughput in the cassette storing andtransporting unit, and in the substrate processing apparatus as well.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide asubstrate processing apparatus that can transport efficiently a cassettein a cassette storing and transporting unit.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of the present invention when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall construction of asubstrate processing apparatus according to first and second preferredembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the construction of an FOUP in thefirst and second preferred embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a loader and unloader section in the firstpreferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the loader and unloader section in the firstpreferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a shelf member and an FOUP;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the neighborhood of the shelf member;

FIG. 7 is a top view of a loader and unloader section according to thesecond preferred embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the loader and unloader section in the secondpreferred embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a second opening and closing mechanism and atransporting mechanism in the first and second preferred embodiments;and

FIG. 10 is a side view of first and second opening and closingmechanisms in the first and second preferred embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described belowin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1. First Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall construction of asubstrate processing apparatus 1 in a first preferred embodiment. Thesubstrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that takes out, from anFOUP (front opening unified pod) 80, a set of a plurality of substrates(lots) encased in the FOUP 80, and that performs substrate processingsin sequence with respect to the plurality of substrates, for example,etching with chemical solution such as hydrofluoric acid, and rinse withde-ionized water. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus1 consists mainly of a load port 10, a loader and unloader section 100,and a substrate processing unit 200. FIG. 1 and the succeedingrespective figures are accompanied by an XYZ rectangular coordinatesystem, where the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction, and an XYplane is a horizontal plane, depending on the necessity for clarifyingtheir respective directional relationships.

Here, the FOUP (cassette) 80 will now be described. FIG. 2 is aperspective view showing the construction of the FOUP 80. A flange 82 isformed on the top of a casing 81 of the FOUP 80. A lifter arm 171 (seeFIGS. 3 and 4) grips the flange 82, thereby holding the FOUP 80 insuspension.

Additionally, a lid 83 is disposed on one surface of the casing 81 (theplane viewed in the direction of an arrow AR1 in FIG. 2). The lid 83 hasa lock mechanism with respect to the casing 81. When the lock mechanismis allowed to function with the lid 83 attached to the casing 81, thelid 83 is secured to the casing 81 and the interior of the casing 81becomes a closed space.

With this construction, if the FOUP 80 is transported in the exterior ofthe substrate processing apparatus 1, the lock mechanism is allowed tofunction with the lid 83 attached to the casing 81, thereby causing theinterior of the casing 81 to become a closed space. Therefore,irrespective of the cleanliness of a clean room where the substrateprocessing apparatus 1 is placed, the interior of the FOUP 80 can bemaintained at a high cleanliness.

On the other hand, the release of the lock mechanism enables the lid 83to be removed from the casing 81, so that a substrate can be taken outfrom the interior of the casing 81, and a substrate can be encased inthe interior of the casing 81. For example, 25 or 13 substrates areencased in the casing 81 with their respective main surfaces arrangedalong the horizontal direction.

The load port (the first mounting section) 10 is a mounting table, onwhich a transporting apparatus in the exterior of the substrateprocessing apparatus 1 (e.g., AVG (automatic guided vehicle)), or theFOUP 80 transferred from an operator of the substrate processingapparatus 1 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 1, the load port 10 is disposedside by side with respect to the loader and unloader section 100, and aplurality of (four in accordance with the first preferred embodiment)FOUPs 80 are mounted concurrently on a mounting surface 10 a.

Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a plurality of (four inaccordance with this preferred embodiment) shutters 11 are disposed on aside surface on the load port 10 side in the loader and unloader section100. Upon opening the shutter 11, there is formed an opening portionthat provides communication between the external space of the substrateprocessing apparatus 1 and the internal space of the loader and unloadersection 100.

This enables a transport robot 130 a of the loader and unloader section100 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) to perform, via the above opening portion,transportation of the FOUP 80 between the load port 10 and the internalspace of the loader and unloader section 100. Specifically, the FOUP 80encasing an untreated substrate is transported from the load port 10 tothe loader and unloader section 100. The FOUP 80 encasing a treatedsubstrate after being subjected to processing in the substrateprocessing unit 200 is transferred from the loader and unloader section100 to the load port 10.

The loader and unloader section 100 is used as a cassette storing andtransporting unit that temporarily stores in its interior the FOUP 80mounted on the load port 10, and also transports the FOUP 80 encasing asubstrate toward the substrate processing unit 200. As shown in FIG. 1,the loader and unloader section 100 is disposed at a place sandwichedbetween the load port 10 and the substrate processing unit 200.

Further, the substrate processing unit 200 has a second opening andclosing mechanism 180 and a transporting mechanism 190 that are used intransferring a substrate between a second mounting section 160 and thesubstrate processing unit 200. The second opening and closing mechanism180 and the transporting mechanism 190 are disposed in the vicinity ofthe shutter 161 of the loader and unloader section 100, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 9.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the second opening and closing mechanism 180and the transporting mechanism 190 of the substrate processing unit 200.FIG. 10 is a side view of the second opening and closing mechanism 180.The substrate processing unit 200 has in its interior a chemicalsolution tank to store chemical solution and a rinsing tank to storede-ionized water. A substrate is subjected to a predetermined substrateprocessing by allowing the substrate to be stored in the chemicalsolution tank or the rinsing tank.

The second opening and closing mechanism 180 consists mainly of a latchpart 181 and a lifting part 182, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The latchpart 181 can be fit in the lid 83 of the FOUP 80. The latch part 181 isattached to one end of a movable portion 182 b. When a cylinder 182 a ofthe lifting part 182 causes the movable portion 182 b to execute advanceand withdrawal motion in the directions indicated by a double-headedarrow AR2 (approximately the Z-axis direction), the latch part 181ascends and descends in the directions indicated by the arrow AR2 (seeFIG. 9). The latch part 181 can also be shifted in the directionsindicated by a double-headed arrow AR3 (the Y-axis direction) by ahorizontal shifting mechanism (not shown) (see FIG. 10).

Hence, when the latch part 181 is shifted with it fit in the lid 83 inthe directions indicated by the arrow AR2 or AR3, the internal space ofthe casing 81 of the FOUP 80 mounted on the second mounting section 160is opened or closed.

The transporting mechanism 190 consists mainly of a support part 191 andan advance and withdrawal section 192. The transporting mechanism 190performs loading or unloading of a substrate with respect to a FOUP 80,when the shutter 161 is opened and the lid 83 of the FOUP 80 mounted onthe second mounting section 160 is removed.

The support part 191 consists mainly of a plurality of (25 or 13 in thispreferred embodiment) support arms 191 a, and a fitting member 191 b.The support arms 191 a are arranged in the vertical direction(approximately the Z-axis direction) at equally spaced intervals whileextending in the horizontal direction (approximately the Y-axisdirection), and each of them supports a substrate such that the mainsurface of the substrate is approximately parallel to an XY plane. Theend of each support arm 191 a on the substrate processing unit 200 sideis attached to the fitting member 191 b extending in the verticaldirection.

A lower end of the fitting member 191 b is disposed on a movable tray192 a of the advance and withdrawal section 192. The advance andwithdrawal section 192 has three trays (movable trays 192 a and 192 b,and a stationary tray 192 c), as shown in FIG. 9. These trays 192 a, 192b, and 192 c are disposed in top-to-bottom order. The stationary tray192 c of the advance and withdrawal section 192 is attached to a rotaryshaft 194 pivoted about a base 193, allowing the advance and withdrawalsection 192 to be rotatable about an axis 194 c.

With this construction, in connection with the advance and withdrawalsection 192, the movable tray 192 b executes advance and withdrawalmotion with respect to the stationary tray 192 c, and the movable tray192 a executes advance and withdrawal motion with respect to the movabletray 192 b, so that the support part 191 shifts between the full-lineposition and the dotted-line position. As a result, an untreatedsubstrate encased in the interior of the casing of the FOUP 80 is loadedin the substrate processing unit 200 while being supported by thesupport part 191 of the transporting mechanism 190. The treatedsubstrate subjected to substrate processing in the substrate processingunit 200 is unloaded from the substrate processing unit 200 while beingsupported by the support part 191, and then encased in the casing 81 ofthe FOUP 80.

Thus, the substrate transferred to the substrate processing unit 200from the loader and unloader section 100 by the transporting mechanism190 of the substrate processing unit 200 is then stored in theabove-mentioned chemical solution tank or rinsing tank so as to besubjected to a predetermined substrate processing such as rinsing or thelike. The substrate after completion of the predetermined processing isthen unloaded from the substrate processing unit 200 to the loader andunloader section 100 by the transporting mechanism 190.

A control unit 50 shown in FIG. 1 has a memory 51 that stores a program,a variable and the like, and a CPU 52 that executes control according tothe program stored in the memory 51. Objects to be controlled such asthe shutter 11 of the loader and unloader section 100, the transportrobot 130, and the lifter 170 (see FIG. 3) are electrically connected tothe control unit 50 by a signal line (not shown). Therefore, the CPU 52causes these objects to be controlled to operate at a predeterminedtiming according to the program stored in the memory 51.

<1.2. Construction of Loader and Unloader Section>

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a top view and a front view of the loader and unloadersection 100 in the first preferred embodiment, respectively. FIG. 5 is asectional view of the shelf member 141 a and the FOUP 80. FIG. 6 is atop view of the neighborhood of the shelf member 141 a. The following isa detail description of the loader and unloader section 100 that is usedas a cassette storing and transporting unit.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the loader and unloader section 100 consistsmainly two transport robots 130 (130 a, 130 b), a shelf array 140, andtwo mounting sections (second and third mounting sections 160, 150).

Referring to FIG. 3, individual elements arranged in the loader andunloader section 100 are arranged along the horizontal direction(approximately the X-axis direction) so as to form three rows.Specifically, the transport robot (a first transporting section) 130 aand a third mounting section (a judging section) 150 are disposed on thefirst row from the load port 10 side. The shelf array 140 is disposed onthe second row. The transport robot (a second transporting section) 130b and the second mounting section 160 are disposed on the third row.

The shelf array 140 is an encasing section to store a plurality of (16in accordance with the first preferred embodiment) FOUPs 80. In otherwords, the shelf array 140 stores not only the FOUPs 80 encasing anuntreated substrate, but also the empty FOUPs 80, from which thesubstrate is already taken out. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shelfarray 140 is obtained by arranging in two dimensions a plurality ofshelves along the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction) and thehorizontal direction (the X-axis direction).

Each of the plurality of shelves has a pair of shelf members 141 a. Asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each shelf member 141 a is in the general shapeof an “L”, and is attached to the corresponding frame 145 such that thelongitudinal direction of the shelf member 141 a is approximatelyparallel to the Y-axis direction. A surface of the shelf member 141 a,on which the FOUP 80 is mounted, has a projecting portion 142 thatcorresponds to a hole portion 85 disposed at a lower part of the FOUP80. Hence, the FOUP 80 can be stably held on the pair of the shelfmembers 141 a by fitting the projecting portions 142 of a pair of theshelf members 141 a into the hole portions 85 of the FOUP 80.

Thus, in accordance with the first preferred embodiment, the pair of theshelf members 141 a are used as a storage shelf to store the FOUP 80,and the region sandwiched between the pair of the shelf members 141 a isused as an encasing space 141 to store the FOUP 80.

Formed between two shelf members 141 a constituting a storage shelf isan opening portion 146 that is greater in size than a tip portion 139 ofthe transport robot 130 (130 a, 130 b). As shown in FIG. 4, each openingportion 146 is arranged along the vertical direction (the Z-axisdirection).

Therefore, the tip portion 139 of the transport robot 130 ascends anddescends in the interior of the shelf array 140 while passing throughthese opening portions 146. In other words, the opening portions 146 ofa plurality of storage shelves in the shelf array 140 function as apassage portion allowing the tip portion 139 to pass through in thevertical direction.

Referring to FIG. 3, the transport robots 130 a and 130 b are FOUPtransporting sections that are placed on the load port 10 side and thesubstrate processing unit 200 side, respectively, when viewed from theshelf array 140. That is, the transport robot (the first transportingsection) 130 a is disposed on the reverse side of the transport robot(the second transporting section) 130 b with the shelf array 140interposed therebetween.

In the first preferred embodiment, the both robots 130 a and 130 b havealmost the same hardware configuration. In the following description,except where the transport robot 130 a is discriminated from thetransport robot 130 b, the two are simply referred to as a “transportrobot 130.”

A tip portion 139 of the transport robot 130 is a holding element tohold the FOUP 80 from the underside, and is in the general shape of atriangle. A projecting portion 139 a is disposed in the vicinity of eachvertex on the upper surface side of the tip portion 139. Disposed at alower part of the FOUP 80 are three hole portions 87 that correspond tothe projecting portions 139 a, respectively (see FIG. 5, in which two ofthe three hole portions are shown for convenience in plotting). The tipportion 139 is attached to an arm 138 a, via a rotary shaft 134 bpositioned in approximately parallel to the Z-axis, thus allowing it tobe rotatable about the rotary shaft 134 b. Accordingly, the transportrobot 130 stably holds the FOUP 80 by causing the three projectingportions 139 a to fit in their respective corresponding hole portions 86of the FOUP 80, while causing the tip portion 139 to rotate.

The arm 138 a is attached to an arm 138 b via the rotary shaft 134 cpositioned in approximately parallel to the Z-axis, and the arm 138 b isattached to an anchor block 136 via the rotary shaft 134 a. The anchorblock 136 is disposed on a strut 131 extending in the vertical direction(the Z-axis direction) such that it can ascend and descend. The strut131 is free to slide along a guide rail 132 extending in the horizontaldirection (the X-axis direction).

With this construction, the transport robot 130 (130 a, 130 b) causesthe FOUP 80 held on the tip portion 139 to shift in the horizontaldirection along the shelf array 140 and to ascend and descend in thevertical direction. Therefore, the transport robot 130 a transports theFOUP 80 among the storage shelf of the shelf array 140, the load port10, and the third mounting section 150. The transport robot 130 btransports the FOUP 80 between the storage shelf of the shelf array 140and the second mounting section 160.

The transport robot 130 a performs processing of: transporting the FOUP80 that is loaded through the load port 10, from the load port 10 to theshelf array 140; transporting it from the load port 10 to the thirdmounting section 150; transporting it from the third mounting section150 to the shelf array 140; and transporting the FOUP 80 stored in theshelf array 140 to the load port 10.

The transport robot 130 b performs transportation of the FOUP 80 storedin the shelf array 140 from the shelf array 140 to the second mountingsection 160; and transportation from the mounting section 150 to theshelf array 140.

Thus, the transport robots 130 a and 130 b are disposed oppositely withthe shelf array 140 interposed therebetween. This enables a plurality oftransportations to be executed almost concurrently, thereby improvingthe throughput in the load and unloader section 100 as a whole. Exceptwhere the transport robots 130 a and 130 b access to the same storageshelf, they can execute transportation of the FOUP 80 without mutualspatial interference. It is therefore possible to set the operations ofthe transport robots 130 a and 130 b without considering theinterference between the two.

Moreover in the first preferred embodiment, the transportation of theFOUP 80 executed between the load port 10 and the substrate processingunit 200 is performed by the two transport robots 130 a and 130 b of theloader and unloader section 100, instead of the transporting section ofthe load port 10. Therefore, in the first preferred embodiment, neitherof the transport robot 130 a nor 130 b is required to withdraw when theFOUP 80 is transported from the load port 10 to the substrate processingunit 200. This permits efficient transportation of the FOUP 80.

The transportation of the FOUP 80 between the transport robot 130 (130a, 130 b) and each storage shelf of the shelf array 140 is executed asfollows. That is, when the FOUP 80 is transferred from the transportrobot 130 to the storage shelf, first, the tip portion 139 of thetransport robot 130 is shifted such that the height position (theposition in the Z-axis direction) of a bottom 88 of the FOUP 80 encasedat a storage shelf is higher than the height position of a top surface143 of the shelf member 141 a (141 b, 141 c) (see FIG. 5). Subsequently,the tip portion 139 is allowed to descend such that the projectingportions 142 of a pair of the shelf member 141 a (141 b, 141 c) are fitin the hole portions 85 of the FOUP 80.

By allowing the tip portion 139 to further descend, the FOUP 80 ismounted on the top surface 143 of the pair of the shelf member 141 a(141 b, 141 c), and the projecting portion 139 a of the tip portion 139is separated from a hole portion 87, thus completing the transfer of theFOUP 80 from the transport robot 130 to the storage shelf.

On the other hand, when the FOUP 80 is transferred from a storage shelfto the transport robot 130, first, the tip portion 139 of the transportrobot 130 is shifted to under the FOUP 80 that is mounted on a storageshelf. Subsequently, the tip portion 139 is allowed to ascend such thatthe projecting portion 139 a of the tip portion 139 is fit in the holeportion 87 of the FOUP 80.

By allowing the tip portion 139 to further ascend, the FOUP 80 is heldby the tip portion 139, and the projecting portion 142 is separated fromthe hole portion 85, thus completing the transfer of the FOUP 80 fromthe storage shelf to the transport robot 130.

Thus, in process of transporting the FOUP 80 between the transport robot130 and the storage shelf, the FOUP 80 is shifted above the shelf member141 a (141 b, 141 c). Consequently, the encasing space 141 is set so asto have a greater height than the FOUP 80.

The second mounting section 160 is used to transfer a substrate encasedin the FOUP 80 to the substrate processing unit 200, and disposed on thesubstrate processing unit 200 side when viewed from the shelf array 140.

Like the shelf member 141 a, the shelf member 141 b is a member that isin the general shape of an “L”, and has a plurality of (three inaccordance with the first preferred embodiment) projecting portions onthe plane on the FOUP 80 side. It is disposed such that the longitudinaldirection of the shelf member 141 b is approximately parallel to theX-axis direction, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Additionally, a shutter 161 that can ascend and descend in thedirections indicated by a double-headed arrow AR4 (approximately theZ-axis direction, see FIG. 9) is disposed on a side wall on thesubstrate processing unit 200 side in the vicinity of the secondmounting section 160. Upon opening the shutter 161, there is formed anopening portion that provides communication between the internal spaceof the loader and unloader section 100 and the internal space of thesubstrate processing unit 200.

Hence, when the FOUP 80 is mounted on a pair of the shelf members 141 b,the second opening and closing mechanism 180 of the substrate processingunit 200 removes the lid 83 of the FOUP 80, while the transportingmechanism 190 of the substrate processing unit 200 takes out anuntreated substrate from the FOUP 80, and transports the untreatedsubstrate into the substrate processing unit 200 via the opening portionformed upon opening the shutter 161.

On the other hand, after the substrate processing unit 200 performsprocessing such as rinsing and drying with respect to a substrate, theshutter 161 is opened, and the transporting mechanism 190 transports thetreated substrate via the opening portion into the FOUP 80, while thesecond opening and closing mechanism 180 closes the lid 83 of the FOUP80.

A lifter 170 of the second mounting section 160 is a lifting sectionthat causes the FOUP 80 mounted on a pair of the shelf members 141 b toascend and descend between a mounting position (the full-line positionin FIG. 4) and a withdrawal position (the dash-single-dot-line positionin FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the lifter 170 is disposed above a pairof the shelf members 141 b, and has a lifter arm 171.

The lifter arm 171 grips a flange 82 (a grip portion) formed on the topof the FOUP 80, and releases its grip state. The lifter arm 171 can alsoascend and descend along the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction)by a driving mechanism (not shown).

This enables the second mounting section 160 to raise the empty FOUP 80,from which the substrate is already supplied to the substrate processingunit 200, to the withdrawal position (the dash-single-dot-line positionin FIG. 4).

The transport robot 130 b is therefore able to continuously execute thetransfer of the FOUP 80 encasing an untreated substrate to the mountingposition of the second mounting section 160, and the receipt of theempty FOUP 80 raised to the withdrawal position, from the secondmounting section 160. Specifically, only one reciprocating motion of thetransport robot 130 b between the shelf array 140 and the secondmounting section 160 permits the interchange between the FOUP 80encasing a substrate and the empty FOUP 80. This can further improve thethroughput in the processing executed in the loader and unloader section100.

The third mounting section 150 is used to execute mapping processingsuch as confirmation of the number of substrates encased in the FOUP 80loaded from the load port 10, and is disposed on the load port 10 sidewhen viewed from the shelf array 140. That is, the third mountingsection 150 is disposed on the opposite side of the second mountingsection 160 with the shelf array 140 interposed therebetween.

The third mounting section 150 is equipped with a first opening andclosing mechanism 185 to open and close the lid 83 of the FOUP 80. Thefirst opening and closing mechanism 185 has the same hardwareconfiguration as the second opening and closing mechanism 180, as shownin FIG. 10. Therefore, the internal space of the casing 81 of the FOUP80 mounted on the second mounting section 160 is opened or closed byallowing the latch part 181 of the first opening and closing mechanism185 to shift in the directions indicated by the arrow AR2 or thedirections indicated by the arrow AR3, while allowing it to fit in thelid 83.

Like the shelf members 141 a and 141 b, a shelf member 141 c is a memberthat is in the general shape of an “L”, and has a projecting portion. Itis attached such that its longitudinal direction is approximatelyparallel to the X-axis direction (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The third mountingsection 150 further has a counting mechanism 187 to count the number ofsubstrates encased in the interior of the FOUP 80, as shown in FIG. 3.

Therefore, when the FOUP 80 is mounted on a pair of the shelf members141 c, the opening and closing mechanism removes the lid 83 of the FOUP80, while the counting mechanism 187 counts the number of substratesencased in the interior of the FOUP 80. Thus, the third mounting section150 is used as a judging section to judge the situation with regard tothe substrates encased in the FOUP 80.

The lifter 170 of the third mounting section 150 is, as shown in FIG. 4,a lifting section disposed above a pair of the shelf members 141 c, andhas the same hardware configuration as the lifter 170 of the secondmounting section 160. That is, the lifter 170 of the third mountingsection 160 causes the FOUP 80 mounted on a pair of the shelf members141 c to ascend and descend between the mounting position (the full-lineposition in FIG. 4) and the withdrawal position (thedash-single-dot-line position in FIG. 4).

With this construction, the third mounting section 150 can raise theFOUP 80 after completion of mapping processing to the withdrawalposition (the dash-single-dot-line position in FIG. 4), while causingthe lifter arm 171 to grip the flange 82.

The transport robot 130 a is therefore able to continuously execute thetransfer of the FOUP 80 not subjected to mapping processing to themounting position of the third mounting section 150, and the receipt ofthe FOUP 80, after being subjected to mapping processing and raised tothe withdrawal position, from the second mounting section 150.Specifically, only one reciprocating motion of the transport robot 130 abetween the shelf array 140 and the second mounting section 160 permitsthe interchange between the FOUP 80 after completion of mappingprocessing and the FOUP 80 not subjected to mapping processing. This canfurther improve the throughput in the processing executed in the loaderand unloader section 100.

In a conventional loader and unloader section having only one openersection, mapping processing is usually executed in the second mountingsection 160 disposed on the substrate processing unit 200 side. That is,the transfer of a substrate to the substrate processing unit 200, andthe mapping processing are executed in the second mounting section 160.

Hence, if there is only one opener section, by the time the substrateencased in the FOUP 80 is loaded in the substrate processing unit 200,it needs to be transported between the second mounting section 160 andthe shelf array 140 in some cases. This may cause a waste of the processof transportation.

Furthermore, during the mapping processing, a transporting mechanism 190on the substrate processing unit 200 side cannot load a substrate fromthe second mounting section 160 to the substrate processing unit 200.This leads to such a disadvantage that the processing in the secondmounting section 160 is a rate-determining factor of the throughput inthe processing executed in the loader and unloader section 100.

On the contrary, in the loader and unloader section 100 of the firstpreferred embodiment, the second and third mounting sections 160 and 150can execute concurrently the loading of a substrate into the substrateprocessing unit 200, and mapping processing. Like the conventionalloader and unloader section, it is unnecessary to reciprocate the FOUP80 between the shelf array 140 and the second mounting section 160 bythe time a substrate is loaded in the substrate processing unit 200.This permits a reduction in the time of waiting for another processingin the second mounting section 160, thereby further improving thethroughput in the transportation executed in the loader and unloadersection 100.

<1.3. Advantages of Substrate Processing Apparatus of First PreferredEmbodiment>

As above described, in the loader and unloader section 100 of thesubstrate processing apparatus 1 of the first preferred embodiment, thetransport robot (the first transport section) 130 a is disposed on theload port (the first mounting section) 10 side, and the transport robot(the second transporting section) 130 b is disposed on the substrateprocessing unit 200 side, with the shelf array 140 interposed betweenthe two. This enables the transport robots 130 a and 130 b to executetransportation of the FOUP 80 without mutual spatial interference,except where they access to the same storage shelf.

It is therefore possible to further improve the throughput in thetransportation executed in the loader and unloader section 100, and thethroughput in the substrate processing apparatus 1 as well.Additionally, the operations of the transport robots 130 a and 130 b canbe set without consideration of spatial interference of the transportsrobots 130 a and 130 b.

The loader and unloader section 100 has the two mounting sections (thesecond and third mounting sections 160 and 150). The mapping processingin the third mounting section 150, and the transfer of a substrate tothe substrate processing unit 200 in the second mounting section 160 areexecuted concurrently. Specifically, like the conventional loader andunloader section, the second mounting section 160 is not required toexecute mapping processing, and it may execute only the transfer of asubstrate, so that the time of waiting for another processing in thesecond mounting section 160 can be reduced.

2. Second Preferred Embodiment

A second preferred embodiment of the present invention will next bedescribed. A substrate processing apparatus in the second preferredembodiment has the same construction as the first preferred embodiment,except that a loader and unloader section 500 further has an aligningsection to align substrates in a predetermined direction. In thefollowing description, like components are identified by the samereference numerals as in the substrate processing apparatus of the firstpreferred embodiment.

<2.1. Construction of Substrate Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall construction of asubstrate processing apparatus 400 in a second preferred embodiment. Thesubstrate processing apparatus 400 is an apparatus that takes out, froman FOUP (front opening unified pod) 80, a set of a plurality ofsubstrates (lots) encased in the FOUP 80, and that performs substrateprocessings in sequence with respect to the plurality of substrate, forexample, etching with chemical solution such as hydrofluoric acid, andrinse with de-ionized water. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrateprocessing apparatus 400 consists mainly of a load port 10, a loader andunloader section 500, and a substrate processing unit 200. FIG. 1 andthe succeeding respective figures are accompanied by an XYZ rectangularcoordinate system, where the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction,and an XY plane is a horizontal plane, depending on the necessity inclarifying their respective directional relationships.

The load port (the first mounting section) 10 is a mounting table, onwhich a transporting apparatus in the exterior of the substrateprocessing apparatus 400 (e.g., AVG (automatic guided vehicle)), or theFOUP 80 transferred from an operator of the substrate processingapparatus 400 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 1, the load port 10 isdisposed side by side with respect to the loader and unloader section500, and a plurality of (four in accordance with the second preferredembodiment) FOUPs 80 are mounted concurrently on a mounting surface 10a.

Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, a plurality of (four inaccordance with the second preferred embodiment) shutters 11 aredisposed on a side surface on the load port 10 side in the loader andunloader section 500. Upon opening the shutter 11, there is formed anopening portion that provides communication between the external spaceof the substrate processing apparatus 400 and the internal space of theloader and unloader section 500.

This enables a transport robot 130 a of the loader and unloader section500 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) to perform, via the above opening portion,transportation of the FOUP 80 between the load port 10 and the internalspace of the loader and unloader section 500. Specifically, the FOUP 80with an untreated substrate encased is transported from the load port 10to the loader and unloader section 500. The FOUP 80 with a treatedsubstrate after being subjected to processing in the substrateprocessing unit 200 is transferred from the loader and unloader section500 to the load port 10.

The loader and unloader section 500 is used as a cassette storing andtransporting unit that temporarily stores in its interior the FOUP 80mounted on the load port 10, and also transports the FOUP 80 encasing asubstrate toward the substrate processing unit 200. As shown in FIG. 1,the loader and unloader section 500 is disposed at a place sandwichedbetween the load port 10 and the substrate processing unit 200.

Further, the substrate processing unit 200 has a second opening andclosing mechanism 180 and a transporting mechanism 190 that are used intransferring a substrate between a second mounting section 160 and thesubstrate processing unit 200. The second opening and closing mechanism180 and the transporting mechanism 190 are disposed in the vicinity ofthe shutter 161 of the loader and unloader section 500, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 9.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the second opening and closing mechanism 180and the transporting mechanism 190 of the substrate processing unit 200.FIG. 10 is a side view of the second opening and closing mechanism 180.The substrate processing unit 200 has in its interior a chemicalsolution tank to store chemical solution and a rinsing tank to storede-ionized water. A substrate is subjected to a predetermined substrateprocessing by allowing the substrate to be stored in the chemicalsolution tank or the rinsing tank.

The second opening and closing mechanism 180 consists mainly of a latchpart 181 and a lifting part 182, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The latchpart 181 can be fit in the lid 83 of the FOUP 80. The latch part 181 isattached to one end of a movable portion 182 b. When a cylinder 182 a ofthe lifting part 182 causes the movable portion 182 b to execute advanceand withdrawal motion in the directions indicated by a double-headedarrow AR2 (approximately the Z-axis direction), the latch part 181ascends and descends in the directions indicated by the arrow AR2 (seeFIG. 9). The latch part 181 can also be shifted in the directionsindicated by a double-headed arrow AR3 (the Y-axis direction) by ahorizontal shifting mechanism (not shown) (see FIG. 10).

Hence, when the latch part 181 is shifted with it fit in the lid 83 inthe directions indicated by the arrow AR2 or AR3, the internal space ofthe casing 81 of the FOUP 80 mounted on the second mounting section 160is opened or closed.

The transporting mechanism 190 consists mainly of a support part 191 andan advance and withdrawal section 192. The transporting mechanism 190performs loading or unloading of a substrate with respect to a FOUP 80,when the shutter 161 is opened and the lid 83 of the FOUP 80 mounted onthe second mounting section 160 is removed.

The support part 191 consists mainly of a plurality of (25 or 13 in thesecond preferred embodiment) support arms 191 a, and a fitting member191 b. The support arms 191 a are arranged in the vertical direction(approximately the Z-axis direction) at equally spaced intervals whileextending in the horizontal direction (approximately the Y-axisdirection), and each of them supports a substrate such that the mainsurface of the substrate is approximately parallel to an XY plane. Theend of each support arm 191 a on the substrate processing unit 200 sideis attached to the fitting member 191 b extending in the verticaldirection.

A lower end of the fitting member 191 b is disposed on a movable tray192 a of the advance and withdrawal section 192. The advance andwithdrawal section 192 has three trays (movable trays 192 a and 192 b,and a stationary tray 192 c), as shown in FIG. 9. These trays 192 a, 192b, and 192 c are disposed in top-to-bottom order. The stationary tray192 c of the advance and withdrawal section 192 is attached to a rotaryshaft 194 pivoted about a base 193, allowing the advance and withdrawalsection 192 to be rotatable about an axis 194 c.

With this construction, in the advance and withdrawal section 192, themovable tray 192 b executes advance and withdrawal motion with respectto the stationary tray 192 c, and the movable tray 192 a executesadvance and withdrawal motion with respect to the movable tray 192 b, sothat the support part 191 shifts between the full-line position and thedotted-line position. As a result, an untreated substrate encased in theinterior of the casing of the FOUP 80 is loaded in the substrateprocessing unit 200 while being supported by the support part 191 of thetransporting mechanism 190. The treated substrate subjected to substrateprocessing in the substrate processing unit 200 is unloaded from thesubstrate processing unit 200 while being supported by the support part191, and then encased in the casing 81 of the FOUP 80.

Thus, the substrate transferred to the substrate processing unit 200from the loader and unloader section 100 by the transporting mechanism190 of the substrate processing unit 200 is then stored in theabove-mentioned chemical solution tank or rinsing tank so as to besubjected to a predetermined substrate processing such as rinsing or thelike. The substrate after completion of the predetermined processing isthen unloaded from the substrate processing unit 200 to the loader andunloader section 500 by the transporting mechanism 190.

A control unit 50 shown in FIG. 1 has a memory 51 that stores a program,a variable and the like, and a CPU 52 that executes control according tothe program stored in the memory 51. Objects to be controlled such asthe shutter 11 of the loader and unloader section 500, the transportrobot 130, and the lifter 170 (see FIG. 7) are electrically connected tothe control unit 50 by a signal line (not shown). Therefore, the CPU 52causes these objects to be controlled to operate at a predeterminedtiming according to the program stored in the memory 51.

<2.2. Construction of Loader and Unloader Section>

FIGS. 7 and 8 are a top view and a front view of the loader and unloadersection 500 in the second preferred embodiment, respectively. FIG. 5 isa sectional view of the shelf member 141 a and the FOUP 80. FIG. 6 is atop view of the neighborhood of the shelf member 141 a. The following isa detail description of the loader and unloader section 500 that is usedas a cassette storing and transporting unit.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the loader and unloader section 500 consistsmainly two transport robots 130 (130 a, 130 b) and 530, a shelf array140, two mounting sections (second and third mounting sections 160,150), and an alignment section 510.

Referring to FIG. 7, individual elements arranged in the loader andunloader section 500 are arranged along the horizontal direction(approximately the X-axis direction) so as to form three rows.Specifically, the transport robot (a first transporting section) 130 aand a third mounting section (a judging section) 150 are disposed on thefirst row from the load port 10 side. The shelf array 140, the alignmentsection 510, and the transport robot 530 are disposed on the second row.The transport robot (a second transporting section) 130 b and the secondmounting section 160 are disposed on the third row.

The shelf array 140 is an encasing section to encase a plurality of (14in accordance with the second preferred embodiment) FOUPs 80. In otherwords, the shelf array 140 encases not only the FOUPs 80 encasing anuntreated substrate, but also the empty FOUPs 80, from which thesubstrate is already taken out. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the shelfarray 140 is obtained by arranging in two dimensions a plurality ofshelves along the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction) and thehorizontal direction (the X-axis direction).

Each of the plurality of shelves has a pair of shelf members 141 a. Asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each shelf member 141 a is in the general shapeof an “L”, and is attached to the corresponding frame 145 such that thelongitudinal direction of the shelf member 141 a is approximatelyparallel to the Y-axis direction. A surface of the shelf member 141 a,on which the FOUP 80 is mounted, has a projecting portion 142 thatcorresponds to a hole portion 85 disposed at a lower part of the FOUP80. Hence, the FOUP 80 can be stably held at the pair of the shelfmembers 141 a by fitting the projecting portions 142 of a pair of theshelf members 141 a into the hole portions 85 of the FOUP 80.

Thus, in accordance with the second preferred embodiment, the pair ofthe shelf members 141 a are used as a storage shelf to store the FOUP80, and the region sandwiched between the pair of the shelf members 141a is used as an encasing space 141 to store the FOUP 80.

Formed between two shelf members 141 a constituting a storage shelf isan opening portion 146 that is greater in size than a tip portion 139 ofthe transport robot 130 (130 a, 130 b). As shown in FIG. 8, each openingportion 146 is arranged along the vertical direction (the Z-axisdirection).

Therefore, the tip portion 139 of the transport robot 130 ascends anddescends in the interior of the shelf array 140 while passing throughthese opening portions 146. In other words, the opening portions 146 ofa plurality of storage shelves in the shelf array 140 function as apassage portion allowing the tip portion 139 to pass through in thevertical direction.

Referring to FIG. 7, the transport robots 130 a and 130 b are FOUPtransporting sections that are placed on the load port 10 side and thesubstrate processing unit 200 side, respectively, when viewed from theshelf array 140. That is, the transport robot (the first transportingsection) 130 a is disposed on the reverse side of the transport robot(the second transporting section) 130 b with the shelf array 140interposed therebetween.

A tip portion 139 of the transport robot 130 is a holding element tohold the FOUP 80 from the underside, and is in the general shape of atriangle. A projecting portion 139 a is disposed in the vicinity of eachvertex on the upper surface side of the tip portion 139. Disposed at alower part of the FOUP 80 are three hole portions 87 that correspond tothe projecting portions 139 a, respectively (see FIG. 7, in which two ofthe three hole portions are shown for convenience in plotting). The tipportion 139 is attached to an arm 138 a, via a rotary shaft 134 bpositioned in approximately parallel to the Z-axis, thus allowing it tobe rotatable about the rotary shaft 134 b. Accordingly, the transportrobot 130 stably holds the FOUP 80 by causing the three projectingportions 139 a to fit in their respective corresponding hole portions 86of the FOUP 80, while causing the tip portion 139 to rotate.

The arm 138 a is attached to an arm 138 b via the rotary shaft 134 cpositioned in approximately parallel to the Z-axis, and the arm 138 b isattached to an anchor block 136 via the rotary shaft 134 a. The anchorblock 136 is disposed on a strut 131 extending in the vertical direction(the Z-axis direction) such that it can ascend and descend. The strut131 is free to slide along a guide rail 132 extending in the horizontaldirection (the X-axis direction).

With this construction, the transport robot 130 (130 a, 130 b) causesthe FOUP 80 held at the tip portion 139 to shift in the horizontaldirection along the shelf array 140 and to ascend and descend in thevertical direction. Therefore, the transport robot 130 a transports theFOUP 80 among the storage shelf of the shelf array 140, the load port10, and the third mounting section 150. The transport robot 130 btransports the FOUP 80 between the storage shelf of the shelf array 140and the second mounting section 160.

The transport robot 130 a performs processing of: transporting the FOUP80 that is loaded through the load port 10, from the load port 10 to theshelf array 140; transporting it from the load port 10 to the thirdmounting section 150; transporting it from the third mounting section150 to the shelf array 140; and transporting the FOUP 80 stored in theshelf array 140 to the load port 10.

The transport robot 130 b performs the transportation of the FOUP 80stored in the shelf array 140 from the shelf array 140 to the secondmounting section 160, and transportation from the mounting section 150to the shelf array 140.

Thus, the transport robots 130 a and 130 b are disposed oppositely withthe shelf array 140 interposed therebetween. This enables a plurality oftransportations to be executed almost concurrently, thereby improvingthe throughput in the load and unloader section 500 as a whole. Exceptwhere the transport robots 130 a and 130 b access to the same storageshelf, they execute transportation of the FOUP 80 without mutual spatialinterference. It is therefore possible to set the operations of thetransport robots 130 a and 130 b without considering the interferencebetween the two.

Moreover in the second preferred embodiment, the transportation of theFOUP 80 executed between the load port 10 and the substrate processingunit 200 is performed by the two transport robots 130 a and 130 b of theloader and unloader section 100, instead of the transporting section ofthe load port 10. Therefore, in the second preferred embodiment, neitherof the transport robot 130 a nor 130 b is required to withdraw when theFOUP 80 is transported from the load port 10 to the substrate processingunit 200. This permits efficient transportation of the FOUP 80.

The transportation of the FOUP 80 between the transport robot 130 (130a, 130 b) and each storage shelf of the shelf array 140 is executed asfollows. That is, when the FOUP 80 is transferred from the transportrobot 130 to the storage shelf, first, the tip portion 139 of thetransport robot 130 is shifted such that the height position (theposition in the Z-axis direction) of the bottom 88 of the FOUP 80 storedat a storage shelf is higher than the height position of a top surface143 of the shelf member 141 a (141 b, 141 c) (see FIG. 7). Subsequently,the tip portion 139 is allowed to descend such that the projectingportions 142 of a pair of the shelf member 141 a (141 b, 141 c) are fitin the hole portions 85 of the FOUP 80.

By allowing the tip portion 139 to further descend, the FOUP 80 ismounted on the top surface 143 of the pair of the shelf member 141 a(141 b, 141 c), and the projecting portion 139 a of the tip portion 139is separated from a hole portion 87, thus completing the transfer of theFOUP 80 from the transport robot 130 to the storage shelf.

On the other hand, when the FOUP 80 is transferred from a storage shelfto the transport robot 130, first, the tip portion 139 of the transportrobot 130 is shifted to under the FOUP 80 that is mounted on a storageshelf. Subsequently, the tip portion 139 is allowed to ascend such thatthe projecting portion 139 a of the tip portion 139 is fit in the holeportion 87 of the FOUP 80.

By allowing the tip portion 139 to further ascend, the FOUP 80 is heldby the tip portion 139, and the projecting portion 142 is separated fromthe hole portion 85, thus completing the transfer of the FOUP 80 fromthe storage shelf to the transport robot 130.

Thus, in process of transporting the FOUP 80 between the transport robot130 and the storage shelf, the FOUP 80 is shifted above the shelf member141 a (141 b, 141 c). Therefore, the encasing space 141 is set so as tohave a greater height than the FOUP 80.

The second mounting section 160 is used to transfer a substrate encasedin the FOUP 80 to the substrate processing unit 200, and disposed on thesubstrate processing unit 200 side when viewed from the shelf array 140.

Like the shelf member 141 a, the shelf member 141 b is a member that isin the general shape of an “L”, and has a plurality of (three inaccordance with the second preferred embodiment) projecting portions onthe plane on the FOUP 80 side. It is disposed such that the longitudinaldirection of the shelf member 141 b is approximately parallel to theX-axis direction, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Additionally, a shutter 161 that can ascend and descend in thedirections indicated by a double-headed arrow AR4 (approximately theZ-axis direction, see FIG. 9) is disposed on a side wall on thesubstrate processing unit 200 side in the vicinity of the secondmounting section 160. Upon opening the shutter 161, there is formed anopening portion that provides communication between the internal spaceof the loader and unloader section 500 and the internal space of thesubstrate processing unit 200.

Hence, when the FOUP 80 is mounted on a pair of the shelf members 141 b,the second opening and closing mechanism 180 of the substrate processingunit 200 removes the lid 83 of the FOUP 80, while the transportingmechanism 190 of the substrate processing unit 200 takes out anuntreated substrate from the FOUP 80, and transports the untreatedsubstrate into the substrate processing unit 200 via the opening portionformed upon opening the shutter 161.

On the other hand, after the substrate processing unit 200 performsprocessing such as rinsing and drying with respect to a substrate, theshutter 161 is opened, and the transporting mechanism 190 transports thetreated substrate via the opening portion into the FOUP 80, while thesecond opening and closing mechanism 180 closes the lid 83 of the FOUP80.

A lifter 170 of the second mounting section 160 is a lifting sectionthat causes the FOUP 80 mounted on a pair of the shelf members 141 b toascend and descend between a mounting position (the full-line positionin FIG. 8) and a withdrawal position (the dash-single-dot-line positionin FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 8, the lifter 170 is disposed above a pairof the shelf members 141 b, and has a lifter arm 171.

The lifter arm 171 grips a flange 82 (a grip portion) formed on the topof the FOUP 80, and releases its grip state. The lifter arm 171 can alsoascend and descend along the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction)by a driving mechanism (not shown).

This enables the second mounting section 160 to raise the empty FOUP 80,from which the substrate is already supplied to the substrate processingunit 200, to the withdrawal position (the dash-single-dot-line positionin FIG. 8).

The transport robot 130 b is therefore able to continuously execute thetransfer of the FOUP 80 encasing an untreated substrate to the mountingposition of the second mounting section 160, and the receipt of theempty FOUP 80 raised to the withdrawal position, from the secondmounting section 160. Specifically, only one reciprocating motion of thetransport robot 130 b between the shelf array 140 and the secondmounting section 160 permits the interchange between the FOUP 80encasing a substrate and the empty FOUP 80. This can further improve thethroughput in the processing executed in the loader and unloader section500.

The third mounting section 150 is used to execute mapping processingsuch as confirmation of the number of substrates encased in the FOUP 80loaded from the load port 10, and is disposed on the load port 10 sidewhen viewed from the shelf array 140. That is, the third mountingsection 150 is disposed on the opposite side of the second mountingsection 160 with the shelf array 140 interposed therebetween.

The third mounting section 150 is equipped with a first opening andclosing mechanism 185 to open and close the lid 83 of the FOUP 80. Thefirst opening and closing mechanism 185 has the same hardwareconfiguration as the second opening and closing mechanism 180, as shownin FIG. 10. Therefore, the internal space of the casing 81 of the FOUP80 mounted on the second mounting section 160 is opened or closed byallowing the latch part 181 of the first opening and closing mechanism185 to shift in the directions indicated by the arrow AR2 or thedirections indicated by the arrow AR3, while allowing it to fit in thelid 83.

Like the shelf members 141 a and 141 b, a shelf member 141 c is a memberthat is in the general shape of an “L”, and has a projecting portion. Itis attached such that its longitudinal direction is approximatelyparallel to the X-axis direction (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The third mountingsection 150 further has a counting mechanism 187 to count the number ofsubstrates encased in the interior of the FOUP 80, as shown in FIG. 7.

Therefore, when the FOUP 80 is mounted on a pair of the shelf members141 c, the opening and closing mechanism 185 removes the lid 83 of theFOUP 80, while the counting mechanism 187 counts the number ofsubstrates encased in the interior of the FOUP 80. Thus, the thirdmounting section 150 is used as a judging section to judge the situationwith regard to the substrates encased in the FOUP 80.

The lifter 170 of the third mounting section 150 is, as shown in FIG. 8,a lifting section disposed above a pair of the shelf members 141 c, andhas the same hardware configuration as the lifter 170 of the secondmounting section 160. That is, the lifter 170 of the third mountingsection 160 causes the FOUP 80 mounted on a pair of the shelf members141 c to ascend and descend between the mounting position (the full-lineposition in FIG. 8) and the withdrawal position (thedash-single-dot-line position in FIG. 8).

With this construction, the third mounting section 150 can raise theFOUP 80 after completion of mapping processing to the withdrawalposition (the dash-single-dot-line position in FIG. 8), while causingthe lifter arm 171 to grip the flange 82.

The transport robot 130 a is therefore able to continuously execute thetransfer of the FOUP 80 not subjected to mapping processing to themounting position of the third mounting section 150, and the receipt ofthe FOUP 80, after being subjected to mapping processing and raised tothe withdrawal position, from the second mounting section 150.Specifically, only one reciprocating motion of the transport robot 130 abetween the shelf array 140 and the third mounting section 160 permitsthe interchange between the FOUP 80 after completion of mappingprocessing and the FOUP 80 not subjected to mapping processing. This canfurther improve the throughput in the processing executed in the loaderand unloader section 500.

In a conventional loader and unloader section having only one openersection, mapping processing is usually executed in the second mountingsection 160 disposed on the substrate processing unit 200 side. That is,the transfer of a substrate to the substrate processing unit 200, andmapping processing are executed in the second mounting section 160.

Hence, if there is only one opener section, by the time the substrateencased in the FOUP 80 is loaded in the substrate processing unit 200,it needs to be transported between the second mounting section 160 andthe shelf array 140 in some cases. This may cause a waste of the processof transportation.

Furthermore, during the mapping processing, a transporting mechanism 190on the substrate processing unit 200 side cannot load a substrate fromthe second mounting section 160 to the substrate processing unit 200.This leads to such a disadvantage that the processing in the secondmounting section 160 is a rate-determining factor of the throughput inthe processing executed in the loader and unloader section 500.

On the contrary, in the loader and unloader section 500 of the secondpreferred embodiment, the second and third mounting sections 160 and 150can execute concurrently the loading of a substrate into the substrateprocessing unit 200, and mapping processing. Unlike the conventionalloader and unloader section, the loader and unloader section 500eliminates the need to reciprocate the FOUP 80 between the shelf array140 and the second mounting section 160 by the time a substrate isloaded in the substrate processing unit 200. This permits a reduction inthe time of waiting for another processing in the second mountingsection 160, thereby further improving the throughput in thetransportation executed in the loader and unloader section 500.

As shown in FIG. 7, the transport robot (the third transporting section)530 is disposed at a region that is present along the X-axis directionof the shelf array 140 and sandwiched between the second and thirdmounting sections 160 and 150 (i.e., the second row). The transportrobot 530 is also disposed such that its height position (the Z-axisdirection position) is approximately the same as the mounting positionof the FOUP 80 in the second and third mounting sections 160 and 150(the full-line position in FIG. 8).

The transport robot 530 has a lifter 536, to which an arm 538 b isattached via a rotary shaft 534 a disposed in approximately parallel tothe Z-axis. An arm 538 a is attached via a rotary shaft 534 c to the arm538 b. A tip portion 539 for transporting substrates one by one isprovided via a rotary shaft 534 b.

After the first opening and closing mechanism 185 of the third mountingsection opens the lid 83 of the FOUP 80 mounted on the third mountingsection 150, a non-contact type detecting section (not shown) detectsthe orientation flat and the notch position of the substrate in the FOUP80. Subsequently, the tip portion 539 of the transport robot 530 takesout the substrates one by one from the FOUP 80, and then transports themto the alignment section 510. After the alignment section 510 completesthe alignment processing of the substrates, the tip portion 539 of thetransport robot 530 takes out the substrates one by one from thealignment section 510, and transports them to the FOUP 80.

The alignment section 510 is an adjusting section of a so-called singlewafer processing that performs alignment processing per substrate. Asshown in FIG. 7, the alignment section 510 is placed within the shelfarray 140 and adjacent to the transport robot 530, and disposed suchthat its height position is approximately the same as that of thetransport robot 530. Here, the alignment section 510 adjusts the rotaryposition of a substrate based on an orientation flat and a notchposition. At this time, the substrate is rotated based on the detectionresult obtained by the non-contact type detecting section, and theposition of the substrate is adjusted such that the crystal orientationof the substrate becomes a predetermined direction, thereby completingthe alignment processing.

Thus, the alignment processing executed by the loader and unloadersection 500 is executed for the substrate that is taken out from theFOUP 80 mounted on the third mounting section 150, and then loaded inthe alignment section 510. That is, in executing the alignmentprocessing, no FOUP 80 is mounted on the second mounting section 160.

This enables the loader and unloader section 500 to concurrently executethe transfer of a substrate from the second mounting section 160 to thesubstrate processing unit 200, the transfer of substrates one by onebetween the third mounting section 150 and the alignment section 510,and the alignment processing executed in the alignment section 510.Therefore, the alignment processing can be executed in the loader andunloader section 500, while minimizing the throughput drop of theprocessing executed in the loader and unloader section 500.

Moreover, in the alignment section 510, the non-contact type detectingsection can detect the orientation flat and the notch position of asubstrate, so that the occurrence of particles can be suppressed than abatch type adjusting section. Hence, the alignment section 510 canexecute alignment processing while suppressing defects in substrateprocessing.

<2.3. Advantages of Substrate Processing Apparatus of Second PreferredEmbodiment>

As above described, in the loader and unloader section 500 of thesubstrate processing apparatus 400 of the second preferred embodiment,the transport robot (the first transport section) 130 a is disposed onthe load port (the first mounting section) 10 side, and the transportrobot (the second transporting section) 130 b is disposed on thesubstrate processing unit 200 side, with the shelf array 140 interposedbetween the two. This enables the transport robots 130 a and 130 b toexecute concurrent transportation of the FOUP 80 without mutual spatialinterference, except where they access to the same storage shelf.

It is therefore possible to further improve the throughput in thetransportation executed in the loader and unloader section 500, and thethroughput in the substrate processing apparatus 400 as well.Additionally, the operations of the transport robots 130 a and 130 b canbe set without consideration of spatial interference of the transportsrobots 130 a and 130 b.

The loader and unloader section 500 has the two mounting sections (thesecond and third mounting sections 160 and 150). The mapping processingin the third mounting section 150, and the transfer of a substrate tothe substrate processing unit 200 in the second mounting section 160 areexecuted concurrently. Specifically, like the conventional loader andunloader section, the second mounting section 160 is not required toexecute mapping processing, and it may execute only the transfer of asubstrate. It is therefore possible to reduce the time of waiting foranother processing in the second mounting section 160, as in the casewith the conventional apparatus. This can further improve the throughputin the transportation in the loader and unloader section 500, and in thethroughput in the substrate processing apparatus 400 as well.

Additionally, in the loader and unloader section 500, the transfer of asubstrate to the substrate processing unit 200, and alignment processingcan be executed concurrently. Therefore, the alignment processing can beexecuted while minimizing the throughput drop in the loader and unloadersection 500 as a whole.

Furthermore, since the alignment section 510 can detect the orientationflat and the notch position of a substrate by the non-contact typedetecting section, the alignment processing can be executed whilesuppressing defects in substrate processing.

While the invention has been shown and described in detail, theforegoing description is in all aspects illustrative and notrestrictive. It is therefore understood that numerous modifications andvariations can be devised without departing from the scope of theinvention.

1. A substrate processing apparatus that performs processing of asubstrate, comprising: a substrate processing unit to perform processingof a substrate; a cassette storing and transporting unit that stores andtransports a cassette to encase a substrate, and that is disposed sideby side with respect to said substrate processing unit; and a firstmounting section that mounts said cassette and is disposed side by sidewith respect to said cassette storing and transporting unit, saidcassette storing and transporting unit having: a plurality of shelves tohold a cassette; a second mounting section that mounts a cassette and isdisposed between said substrate processing unit and said plurality ofshelves; a first transporting section to transport a cassette betweensaid first mounting section and said plurality of shelves; and a secondtransporting section to transport a cassette between said plurality ofshelves and said second mounting section.
 2. The substrate processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first transporting sectionis disposed between said first mounting section and said plurality ofshelves, and transports a cassette from a direction of one side of saidplurality of shelves to said plurality of shelves.
 3. The substrateprocessing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said secondtransporting section is disposed between said substrate processing unitand said plurality of shelves, and transports a cassette from adirection of the other side of said plurality of shelves to saidplurality of shelves.
 4. The substrate processing apparatus according toclaim 3, wherein said first transporting section and said secondtransporting section have a holding element to hold a cassette from theunderside of said cassette; and said plurality of shelves have a passagesection to allow said holding element to pass through in the verticaldirection.
 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4,wherein said cassette storing and transporting unit mounts a cassetteand further has a judging section to judge the situation with regard toa substrate encased in a cassette.
 6. The substrate processing apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein said first transporting section transportsa cassette between said judging section and said first mounting section.7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein saidcassette storing and transporting unit further having: an alignmentsection to adjust the position of a substrate; and a third transportingsection that takes out substrates one by one from a cassette mounted onsaid judging section and transports them to said alignment section, andthat transports substrates one by one, the position of which is adjustedin said alignment section, to a cassette mounted on said judgingsection.
 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,wherein said plurality of shelves are arranged in two dimensions alongthe vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
 9. The substrateprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cassette storingand transporting unit further comprises a lifting mechanism that causesa cassette mounted on said second mounting section to ascend and descendwhile holding said cassette.
 10. The substrate processing apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein said judging section has: an opening andclosing mechanism to open and close a lid of a cassette existing in saidjudging section; and a counting mechanism to count the number ofsubstrates encased in a cassette that is opened and closed by saidopening and closing mechanism.
 11. The substrate processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: an opening and closingmechanism to open and close a lid of a cassette mounted on said secondmounting section.
 12. The substrate processing apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein said substrate processing unit has a transportingmechanism to load and unload a substrate with respect to a cassettemounted on said second mounting section.